Sven Co-op Map Reviews

          Arctic Incident is a conversion of a single player mod of the same name. Some conversions are just singleplayer experiences dropped into Sven Co-op, but this map has been updated to be more co-op friendly. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: XF-Alien Conversion authors: AlexCorruptor, Outerbeast, and Tunac Date of original mod release: 2015 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Arctic Incident (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | June 5, 2022 | 4278 characters      There is an incident in the arctic, strange arctic creatures have invaded an arctic scientific research base, the arctic military is there to kill both the arctic creatures and the arctic scientists, and you have to escape. It's arctic Black Mesa. This two map set is a conversion of a mod by the same name, so it definitely sits on the easy side even if my teammate and I did die a couple of times each. Despite being a conversion of a single player experience, the conve

          Arctic Incident is a conversion of a single player mod of the same name. Some conversions are just singleplayer experiences dropped into Sven Co-op, but this map has been updated to be more co-op friendly. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: XF-Alien Conversion authors: AlexCorruptor, Outerbeast, and Tunac Date of original mod release: 2015 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Arctic Incident (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | June 5, 2022 | 4448 characters      Arctic Incident is a Half-Life mod which this mapset aims to port to Sven Co-op. Does it do this faithfully? I don't know, as I haven't played the original. However, my understanding is that some maps were consolidated and the weapons have been changed. If that's the case, then this is a very solid port which made some good decisions, as both the maps and weapons work great.      The maps are arctic themed, and mostly revolve around a research base in the

      Arctic Mission is a fun little romp through things that can vaguely be described as 'Arctic'. It is short and sweet with fun combat in interesting locations. SCMapDB page Author: TruckStopSantaClaus Date of final release: 2019 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arctic Mission (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | June 5, 2022 | 4278 characters      I feel like if there wasn't already two maps called Arctic Escape then this map would also be called Arctic Escape. The map starts off with players around a campfire (that does hurt if you stand on it) and the story is that we have to escape this terrible place and go home. Unlike the other Arctic Maps this doesn't take place in some remote research outpost in the middle of nowhere, there are some nice looking houses in an environment I would call alpine if it had more trees.      The map definitely has that blocky goldsrc charm to it. The map is divided up into the first half where the player visits some secl

       Apprehension is a map that looks like Black Mesa but the story is about terrorists capturing scientists. There are also aliens here so if you ignore the story completely this map plays like yet another Black Mesa map. SCMapDB page Author: HeAdCrAb KILLA Date of final release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Apprehension (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 5, 2022 | 6095 characters      Apprehension is the name of this map from HeAdCrAb KILLA. Despite the festive name, Apprehension is what I would consider to be a very straight-forward walkthrough action walkthrough map with a typical Black Mesa style. Specifically, the map focuses on grand fire fights between players, ally soldiers, and various enemy factions. Within the map you find yourself fighting grunts, robogrunts, robogrunt gargantuas, and Race X as your primary foes. You face these with an MP5, a shotgun, a handgun, grenades, and later a 357, a rocket launcher, and if you play your cards right qu

      Apprehension is a map that looks like Black Mesa but the story is about terrorists capturing scientists. There are also aliens here so if you ignore the story completely this map plays like yet another Black Mesa map. SCMapDB page Author: HeAdCrAb KILLA Date of final release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Apprehension (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 5, 2022 | 5000 characters      I played the first half of this map quite a few times, there was a door that we just couldn't seem to open. But we revisited the map and tried again and it seems the map opens via a computer console in a security office. I know I've used that console many times in the past, why did it work now suddenly? I restarted the map and did some testing. You have to hit the button three times to open the door. Granted, there are three red lights that switch to green when you use it, but also I didn't notice that until my fourth playthrough of the map and only after I was s

       This is one of those maps where the title says it all. The map is an arena set in a subway and players fight against neverending zombies. The map has no end or objective, just endless zombies. SCMapDB page Author: SLeNd3rMaN23 Date of final release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Zombie Survival Subway (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 4, 2022 | 2759 characters      Zombie Survival Subway is a Nexon zombie survival map in Sven without the cool Nexon weapons or enemy variety. Players fight swarms of sprinting medium-tier zombies who make, I think, some of the most annoying sounds in a Sven map yet. Players get their weapons in a spawn room (instead of spawning the player with them already in possession, as most Nexon maps usually have the good sense to do), and does little to resupply them as they battle an endless onslaught of mediocre enemies.      The big selling point is the visuals, as is often in Nexon maps. The map centers around two subway cars

      This is one of those maps where the title says it all. The map is an arena set in a subway and players fight against neverending zombies. The map has no end or objective, just endless zombies. SCMapDB page Author: SLeNd3rMaN23 Date of final release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Zombie Survival Subway (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 4, 2022 | 2046 characters      Zombie Survival Subway is pretty much the most standard zombie experience a Sven Co-op player could ask for. Players start in a room with some weapons, sniper rifle, M16 (sans grenades), shotgun, and desert eagle. There are green portals that players walk through to drop into the arena itself.      The arena is a sectioned off part of the subway to two derelict subway cars next to each other. The whole area is very well detailed, which from the credits plaque in-map and from what the map description says, this map was ported from Counter-Strike Nexon. I think the zombie models and animations

       Welcome to the surreal pool. This map has some trippy dimensions and overall weird construction, giving the map a surreal and liminal feel to it.  SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Poolarea (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 30, 2022 | 3725 characters      Poolarea is a very interesting map by notorious mapper robootto. The map features a large pool area liberally seasoned with aliens, grunts, assassins, and a gargantua. The fun doesn't stop there, as secrets unveil more battles in side areas and more weapons to take the map with.      I guess Poolarea is meant as a hangout map where the secrets and objectives of taking out the enemies are tertiary to the main RP-style hangout spot Gldsrc tourism aspect. I get that. As a matter of fact, I'd say it's one of robootto's more successful accomplishments in that realm. The diving boards are all there, all reachable, and I think it's a nice

      Welcome to the surreal pool. This map has some trippy dimensions and overall weird construction, giving the map a surreal and liminal feel to it.  SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Poolarea (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 30, 2022 | 5513 characters      At this point in my map reviewing career I've played a lot of maps. I'm still not even 15% of the way done yet. But I have played a LOT of maps by this mapper, Robootto. I've come to expect a certain caliber of map from him. Maybe its the fact that I've just played two maps in a row that weren't actively malicious to the player, but this map is different than what he usually creates.      The map starts off in a strange room with a weird line in the wall, some weird tile blocks on either side of a steep staircase, and a bunch of ammo for weapons we don't have. There is a door here that is breakable and part of the wall with the we

       Pink is a brightly colored and garish map with a short platforming section and then a boss fight around a big cup of water. It's very short and has no ending, there is an inaccessible hallway in the last room that does nothing. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Pink (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 30, 2022 | 3159 characters      Pink is a map by robootto which uses xeno.wad to make an experience comparable to being gummed by a toothless giant with halitosis.      The players begin in a platforming segment over nonlethal pizzalava. The pizzalava is not lethal, thankfully, but it is shameful to fall in. Almost the entire platforming segment can be bypassed by just falling into the pizzalava and walking to the penultimate platform, jumping onto that, and then jumping onto the platform which leads to the exit.      What follows is the hallway of breakable transparent brushes and headcrabs. From there

      Pink is a brightly colored and garish map with a short platforming section and then a boss fight around a big cup of water. It's very short and has no ending, there is an inaccessible hallway in the last room that does nothing. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Pink (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 30, 2022 | 2257 characters      Pink is a gross looking map that uses a lot of the uncommonly used alien textures. The map looks pretty gross. It starts off with a pretty bad platforming section, there are grenades here you definitely want and some shotgun shells on other platforms, the water here doesn't hurt at all so swimming is harmless. Thankfully the whole section is skippable, I swam to the end of the sequence, climbed onto the last platform and jumped to the end.      After the platforming players go through a hallway, over a shotgun, past three zombies, down a short slip-n-slide, down a long d

       The map with the unpronounceable name is about a rocket ship. It kind of goes up but not all the way and it is very slow. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Tuukkekovajatka (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 30, 2022 | 1389 characters      Tuukkekovajatka is a robootto map and boy howdy is it a robootto map.      Alright, here's the gist of it: you start on a raft(?) floating in nonlethal lava(?) which you swim in to a ladder(?) which you climb up into a room(?) which houses a rocket(?) which you can fly up to another blue room(?) or if you prefer jump off early to get to the pink platform. As the map description says, the rocket unfortunately does not fly high enough to get into the flower room.      This entire map is very blocky, the lava room where the player starts makes no sense, the rocket is pretty ugly looking but hats off to robootto for making an evocative enough concave elevator rocket bru

      The map with the unpronounceable name is about a rocket ship. It kind of goes up but not all the way and it is very slow. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Tuukkekovajatka (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 30, 2022 | 1980 characters      I didn't know what to expect from the map with the unpronounceable name. What I got was a weird spawn point in some water that looks like hot lava but is totally safe and harmless. There is a glass partition in the middle of the room and a platform on the other side, swimming under the water can take you to the platform but you can not jump on top of it, the whole area is useless. Instead climb up the ladder.      Up the ladder is a flat white room with a very basic looking rocket. There is a room in the bottom of the rocket but there are no controls. Up a misaligned and non transparent ladder players can access a room in the top of the rocket, the button to go up is

       Arctic Escape is Arctic in that the hallway players are in is snow themed, and the escape bit comes from the end level trigger being in a helicopter. There is little opposition on the way to the end. SCMapDB page Author: Rodhy Date of final release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arctic Escape (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 30, 2022 | 3172 characters      Arctic Escape is a map by Rodhy (and he won't let you forget it) which has a very old-school vibe to it. It's a linear action map, where the player moves setpiece to setpiece along a road. That may sound a bit dull, but when you combine it with heavy equipment and ammo it can be pretty fun. Unfortunately, the enemies barely escalate to a degree that they match the players' readiness, making the map a flash of action which burns out very quickly.      As mentioned, the players are given tons of weapons and ammo right away with very generous respawn rates on the items given. I love this,

      Arctic Escape is Arctic in that the hallway players are in is snow themed, and the escape bit comes from the end level trigger being in a helicopter. There is little opposition on the way to the end. SCMapDB page Author: Rodhy Date of final release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arctic Escape (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 30, 2022 | 3260 characters      Arctic Escape is a short and easy map where players take a leisurely stroll down an arctic hallway to a helicopter. It's a pretty rough and blocky looking map. Chain link fences and ladder textures don't have transparency applied so both objects have unnatural black spots where one would usually be able to see right through.      When we started the map we immediately picked up some weapons and ammo off the ground. To our complete surprise the stuff popped back into existence instantly. There was a great deal of loot at the start, HEV batteries, 9mm, magnum ammo, inside three crates was a cro

       This map's claim to fame is the large crushing machine the map is named after. The crusher works really really well and that is all that matters in a map about crushing. SCMapDB page Author: Unkown Date of final release: 2000 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Crusher (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 30, 2022 | 3391 characters      Crusher is a map by author unknown. It's exactly what's printed on the tin: there's a great big ol' crusher, and you smoosh scientists in it. It's great. You mash a button and two big jagged jaws of rusty metal moosh their meaty bods together, gets stuck and jitters a bit as they make crushing meat sounds, then clamp as they join. They retract and a pile of gibs remain- until the next batch of scientists appear.      If that was the entire map, that would be the entire map. But no, Crusher has some baffling side areas featuring friendly NPCs. One is an area accessible only by climbing down a ladder, wherein B

      This map's claim to fame is the large crushing machine the map is named after. The crusher works really really well and that is all that matters in a map about crushing. SCMapDB page Author: Unkown Date of final release: 2000 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Crusher (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 30, 2022 | 2252 characters      Crusher is an old school map from the early days of Sven Co-op. The main attraction is a large crushing machine with five scientists that spawn endlessly right in the machine's jaws. The button to activate the crusher is a massive cube, it was not apparent that it was a button at first, but I think the giant button was fitting. If you stand on the button and press it you can jump into the machine just in time!      There is a hallway that goes around behind the machine with another button for the crusher and two spawners that makes about fives scientists and five Barneys each. We led all the Barneys into the machine and mulche

       I'm always happy to see a map take place other than Black Mesa, arctic areas and the middle east seem like popular thematic alternative. This arctic map is a simple and quick walkthrough map series in three parts. SCMapDB page Author: Hunter Alpha Date of final release: 2003 Maps in package: 3 Map review of Arctic Base (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 29, 2022 | 3856 characters      Arctic Base is an interesting 3-map set which explores an arctic base, an arctic cave, and the first map again but with a couple enemies and an ending. You spend this map using shotgun shells to put down zombies and gonomes, in what is briefly touted as a mystery in the MOTD. I think that's a bit of a misnomer- there's not much mystery, as much as an open-style map where players can gain some atmosphere by looking at silly arctic base stuff before getting into the linear zombie shooting. There's no shame in that, but don't be fooled into thinking this'll b

      I'm always happy to see a map take place other than Black Mesa, arctic areas and the middle east seem like popular thematic alternative. This arctic map is a simple and quick walkthrough map series in three parts. SCMapDB page Author: Hunter Alpha Date of final release: 2003 Maps in package: 3 Map review of Arctic Base (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 28, 2022 | 4835 characters      There are a few 'arctic' themed maps on the database, and this one is one of the earliest. It definitely feels like an early Sven Co-op map, a lot of simple and blocky level design. There are three maps in this series but they fly by real fast, there really isn't all that much going on here.      The first map starts off with us in a big room and a patch of slippery ice. At first I was wary of the ice because I thought this map was going to lean heavily on slippery floor gimmicks. I was wrong, that is the only slippery patch of ice in these maps (we do come back her

           Piha is a façade of what appears to be an apartment building, the map description claims this to be the author, Robootto's, house. There isn't much interactivity or stuff to do in this map. SCMapDP page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Piha (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 28, 2022 | 2627 characters      Piha is a map by Robootto, crafter of extreme woes and enigmas, but contains neither woe nor enigmas— a fact which left me uneasy through my experience. Instead, Piha is a fairly passable façade of a home, facing some bushes, and with a brutalist blocky backend with ladders to climb all over it. There's not a lot of interactivity to comment on, so instead I'll judge it by its presentation.      Piha reminds me in some ways of the castle in Mario 64, by displaying a magnificent façade in front which develops atmosphere, but leaving everything around it simple or plain. I think of this kind of de